TOUTS - Debut EP ‘Sickening and Deplorable’

TOUTS have just released their debut EP ‘Sickening and Deplorable’, along with their next single ‘Political People’, through Hometown Records.

‘Political People’ is a two minute sub culture anthem looking at how politics, the parties and the manifestos are so far removed from today’s youth. This disaffected vitriol speeds in with piss and vinegar summing up the collective conscience of teenage Britain in 2017.

The three members of Touts are just about to sit their GCSEs while simultaneously shooting videos and performing for their fast growing fan base. The video for ‘Political People’ was shot in front of a 400 strong crowd at their last hometown show in Derry and this summer will see the band play across the UK and Ireland including with Blossoms at the Castlefield Bowl in Manchester and with Kasabian at Custom House Square in Belfast. 

Live Dates

July 8th - Manchester, UK - Castlefield Bowl w/ Blossoms

Augusts 22nd - Belfast, Ireland - Custom House Square w/ Kasabian

September 1st - 3rd - Stradbally, Co. Laois, Ireland - Electric Picnic Festival

American Lips Announce 'Kiss the Void' Album

Montreal / LA’s American Lips have released the single 'Beyond The 7-11' and announce their debut album 'Kiss The Void', due for release June 16th on Ancient Fashion Records. 

American Lips is the first project featuring Death From Above 1979 drummer Sebastien Grainger and producer Adrian Popovich, yet their collaboration dates back over a decade. The pair first met when Popovich played in riff-wielding rockers Tricky Woo, a fixture of the Montreal garage-punk scene of the late 1990s. As a fan and supporter, Grainger aided in Tricky Woo’s signing to Last Gang Records, while Popovich helped record Grainger’s solo albums in return.

Drawing on the minimalism of Wire’s Pink Flag, the manic garage-punk of Jay Reatard, and the synth-driven attack of Total Control, Popovich and his wife Jessica Bruzzese (singer / bassist) co-wrote Kiss The Void. They named their band American Lips in tribute to a song by New York psych-punks Alice Donut. Trading demos with Sebastien Grainger as he sent them the latest DFA1979 songs, the drummer says he got jealous before Popovich asked him to join the band.

With a video written, directed, and edited by Grainger, 'Beyond The 7-11' channels the desperation at the heart of American Lips. Sparing no time, it synthesizes the band’s off-kilter influences while seeking something more than the monotonous offerings of an endless pop culture churn, check out the video below:

Kamikaze Girls - New Single 'Deathcap'

Straight off the back of a run of dates supporting Gnarwolves and a ferocious set at The Great Escape Festival, Leeds duo Kamikaze Girls reveal the video for 'Deathcap'.

The news comes ahead of a further run of co-headline tour dates with Nervus and UK festival appearances over the summer, and the track is the latest to be taken from their upcoming debut full-length, Seafoam, released 9th June via Big Scary Monsters (UK) and Wiretap Records (US).

The clip was shot by Katie McMillan, and edited by vocalist/guitarist Lucinda Livingstone. 

Commenting on the track, Livingstone explains: "The song's about how often the media attacks the entire millennial generation, and I guess we were mocking how much they seem to want to pin such a broad label on a really diverse set of people that are just doing their best to get along, for the most part."

Referencing fellow Leeds band Then Thickens' debut album Death Cap At Anglezarke, it's another cuttingly honestly missive from the pen of Livingstone, who continues to highlight the anxiety and inequality of the modern world with startling insight.

Seafoam is the follow-up to Kamikaze Girls' acclaimed debut EP, SAD. Exploring wider musical influences from shoegaze, fuzz-pop and the heavier side of the genre-spectrum they call home, it's a record that feels like a weight being lifted and a focused, sharpened quill being shifted to new targets.

Kamikaze Girls 2017 Tour Dates:

3rd June - Grimsby - The Gig Lebowski (w/ Ghouls)
9th June - Leeds - Headrow House (w/ Mannequin Pussy)
10th June - Manchester - Gullivers (w/ Apologies I Have None + Hot Mass)
20th June - Dundee - Conroy’s Basement*
21st June - Edinburgh - Bannermans *
22nd June - Leeds - Wharf Chambers*
23rd June - Ipswich - The Smokehouse*
24th June - London - Sebright Arms*
25th June - Watford - White Lion*
26th June - Southampton - The Alex*
27th June - Brighton - The Hope & Ruin*
28th June - Portsmouth - Edge of the Wedge*
29th June - Cardiff - Buffalo*
8th July - 2000 Trees Festival
22nd July - Truck Festival
27th July - Hull - The Adelphi
2nd September - Kent - Moosefest
30th September - Manchester - Deadbolt

* w/ Nervus

Mogwai - New Single 'Coolverine'

Since forming in Glasgow in 1995, Mogwai's output already numbers eight studio albums, 13 EPs, two remix albums, two live stream albums and four compilation albums including 2015’s collection Central Belters. They’ve also contributed soundtracks to an impressive spectrum of cinematic releases and TV series. The band have announced a major world tour, including dates in Europe. North America and 2 UK dates. Friday 15th Dec at the O2 Academy Brixton and Saturday 16th December at Glasgow's SSE Hydro. The new album 'Every Country's Sun' will be released on 1 Sept 2017, in the meantime check out the haunting 'Coolverine' here:

Victorious Festival Adds Another 150 Acts!

Victorious Festival has just added over another 150 acts to this year's line-up. The recent additions are packed full of up and coming, unsigned, self-releasing artists to add to your radar for the weekend ...

Jerry Williams 

The indie-pop singer's self-released, insightful, catchy songs like latest single ‘I’m Not In Love With You’ and her award winning EP ‘Let’s Just forget it’ which won best produced release of 2016 at the Unsigned Music Awards (photo by Gareth Gatrell).

Rhythm of the 90’s

Since their forming in 2012, they have become the band known to get any party started and a perfect addition to the line-up to get you in the festival spirit.

Kassassin Street

The popular Southsea-based band are also added to the bill today bringing their catchy psych-rock sounds to the festival.

Other artists just announced include Emptifish, Blackfoot Circle, Crown of Thieves, Cut Capers, Me & The Moon, Paddy Taylor, The Novatones, Tom Bertram and famously unsigned Mancunian rockers Slow Readers Club who are known for their dynamic live performances. 

Early bird tickets are still available at an unbeatable £30 for Friday and £37 Saturday / Sunday, for tickets and details go to www.victoriousfestival.co.uk

The Silhouettes

Foxer

Paddy Taylor

Me & The Moon

Sophie & The Darlings

Jimi & The Jaffa Cakes

Rockaway Beach - First Wave Of Acts Announced

The first wave of artists for Rockaway Beach which is set for 12-15th January 2018 have just been announced today. In it's third year, the festival is a great value boutique festival with all the comforts of home, as well as an eclectic line-up - with something for a whole spectrum of alternative tastes. 

LNM favourites Helen Love will bring their realistic love songs and pure pop genius delivered with an alternative attitude to the festival, we caught up with them last year when they released 'Smash Hits' you can check the full interview on the link below.

Also announced today are Wild Beasts, The Orb, Alabama 3, Honeyblood, Peter Hook & The Light, She Drew The Gun, Desperate Journalist, Moderate Rebels, Sweaty Palms and DJ sets from Tim Burgess and Steve Lamacq.

There will also be a special screening of the music documentary 'Lost In France' which charts the rise of Scotland's independent music scene in the 1990's. We had a chat to Festival Curator Ian Crowther about the new announcement:

"I'm really excited about the third Rockaway Beach festival - it promises to be the best yet. The team is happy to be delivering what our audience wants ... which is indie legends, awesome live bands, and the best emerging artists.

Wild Beasts are an exceptional band at the top of their game and I know they will deliver an awesome set, Alabama 3 are simply one of the best festival acts you could wish for, and The Orb will bring a really unique show to Rockaway Beach. Of course we love putting on breakthrough artists, and these are often the ones people remember most; for me, Moderate Rebels and Desperate Journalist are two of the most exciting young bands around. And anyone who's experienced a Tim Burgess DJ set will tell you it's not to be missed.

Butlin's Bognor Regis is such a fantastic place for a live music festival.  The sound and atmosphere in each venue is pretty special, the accommodation is top-rate, and the staff are fantastic. Ticket sales have been really strong in the last few weeks, before we announced a single name.  It will be great to see so many familiar faces in January as well as plenty of first-time Beachgoers."

The festival is already shaping up nicely and it's only the first wave of acts announced, you can find the ticket link below along with a link to our review of last year's festival to whet your appetite!

butlins bognor regis

Honeyblood

Blood Red Shoes - New Single

Currently working on their 5th album after being away for a while, Blood Red Shoes have released another new track this weekend. 'Bangsar' sees them moving in a more electro direction whilst still retaining the essence of BRS. Previous new track 'Eye To Eye' also has a dark and menacing air as you would expect from the Brighton duo, but with a new synthy edge. Check out the tracks here!

Skating Polly set to support Kate Nash on tour

kate nash

skating polly

With their EP, ‘New Trick’ out now on El Camino Media, Tacoma, Washington-based Skating Polly have announced extensive European tour dates for this summer. The shows take in slots opening for Kate Nash, as well as their own headline dates – details below.

Following the 2016 release of their highly acclaimed album ‘The Big Fit’, the step-sister duo of Peyton Bighorse and Kelli Mayo found themselves on the receiving end of glowing admiration from Veruca Salt’s co-frontwomen Louise Post and Nina Gordon, who had reached out looking to collaborate.  A dream come true, the band soon joined Post and Gordon in Los Angeles for a writing session, where the four musicians hit it off instantly and soon entered the studio with Brad Wood (Liz Phair, Sunny Day Real Estate, Smashing Pumpkins) to record the three new tracks that make up New Trick. The EP’s artwork is appropriately provided by famous 1970’s punk-era photographer and co-founder of Slash magazine Melanie Nissen, with the vinyl including a B-side etching hand-drawn by the band.

Originally from Oklahoma, Mayo and Bighorse are self-taught multi-instrumentalists, driven by the idea that they could create full songs with just the two of them in a shared bedroom. This new EP and tour sees them welcome their brother Kurtis Mayo to the band. Playing mostly on drums, the new expanded line up frees the band to fully realize their live potential, whilst continuing to trade instruments. Skating Polly’s song-first mentality, attention to melody, and incredible understanding of dynamics has been brought to the forefront this time around, matching their intense and engaging live shows.

Skating Polly live dates:
25 Jul Dublin (IRL) @ The Academy *
26 Jul Belfast (N-IRE) @ The Limelight 2 *
27 Jul Cardiff (UK) @ The Moon Club #
28 Jul Exeter (UK) @ Cavern Club #
29 Jul Leicester (UK) @ Cookie
31 Jul Glasgow (UK) @ Broadcast # 
01 Aug Edinburgh (UK) @ Queen's Hall *
02 Aug Bristol (UK) @ Thunderbolt #
03 Aug Leeds (UK) @ Church *
04 Aug Manchester (UK) @ O2 Ritz *
05 Aug Nottingham (UK) @ Rock City *
06 Aug Bristol (UK) @ O2 Academy *
08 Aug Brighton (UK) @ Concorde 2 * SOLD OUT
09 Aug London (UK) @ O2 Sheperd`s Bush Empire *
10 Aug London (UK) @ O2 Sheperd`s Bush Empire * SOLD OUT
11 Aug London (UK) @ Sebright Arms
12 Aug Stroud (UK) @ The Prince Albert
* with Kate Nash # with Hands off Gretel

Muse - New Single 'Dig Down' Out Now

Muse have released their new single ‘Dig Down’ which is available to stream and download now. The track focuses on the themes of unity and survival – fighting for what’s right when your back’s against the wall. The song is accompanied by an action packed video, which was directed by Lance Drake and features Lauren Wasser. 

Matt Bellamy said; “When I was writing this song I was looking to counteract the current negativity in the world and give inspiration, optimism and hope to people to fight for the causes they believe in; that as individuals we can choose to change the world if we want to.”

On the video, Lance Drake said; “The song is about survival and fighting the odds – when I heard this song I knew I wanted to do an action packed narrative. I’d heard about Lauren a year or so ago, I read her story and she gave me personal inspiration so I’d always kept her in mind to shoot with one day. The power of the song made me think of her … so I wrote the video narrative based on Lauren’s story and how she overcame the odds.”

Muse will be on tour in North America this Summer with Thirty Seconds To Mars and PVRIS in support. The band’s only UK appearances are Reading & Leeds Festival, which they headline for the third time, and Belfast Vital Festival.

IDestroy - New Single '98%'

IDestroy have released the video for ‘98%', the second half of their double A-side single ‘Annie’. Big bass lines and catchy choruses to match are the soundtrack to the lo-fi journey through the gritty scenes of the band's Bristol hometown. Fearless and more determined than ever, IDestroy have been unleashing new material to fans and have been touring the UK throughout April before heading off to Germany for a ten date tour, check out the video below:

The Franklys - On Tour / Album 'Are You Listening?'

The Franklys debut album ‘Are You Listening?’ is due to be released on June 23rd on Hälta Hälta Records. The album finds Swedish Jennifer Ahlkvist and Fanny Broberg, along with East Anglian bassist Zoë Biggs and drummer Lexi Clark at their full creative tilt.

They describe how the album encapsulates their live energy; “we made a conscious decision to try and make as versatile record as possible with a mixture of energetic pop rock songs together with garage, punk, indie, hard rock and funk. Listening to it from start to finish really is a journey through all stages of our live show ... “we have finally managed to transfer the energy and how we sound live on to a record.”

The Album Cover ...

The artist behind the striking artwork on the album is Cal Sino in Australia; “he's just freaking amazing! He usually does some sort of alien erotica animation, but agreed to do something different and unique for us, and we couldn't be happier with the result”

To celebrate the release of 'Are You listening?', The Franklys are embarking on an extensive tour, catch them at the below dates:

24th May Full Moon Cardiff

25th May Cavern Club Exeter

26th May Voodoo Lounge Stamford

27th May The Doghouse Nottingham

28th May The Golden Fleece Chelmsford

31st May Crauford Arms Milton Keynes

1st June Underground Bradford

2nd June Star Inn Guilford

3rd  June Camden Rocks London

7th June Firebug Leicester

8th June Lending Room Leeds

9th  June Fibbers York

10th June Jumpin' Jacks Newcastle

8th July Tannerfest Festival

5th August Verve Bar Leeds

6th August Rebellion Festival

The Coathangers - UK Tour / New Video

With a huge European tour kicking off next week, including 10 UK dates, Atlanta punks THE COATHANGERS have shared a new video for ‘Captain’s Dead’.

Taken from the forthcoming Parasite EP, out June 30th on Suicide Squeeze, the video for ‘Captain’s Dead’ combines the track's sultry verses, triumphant chorus, and bombastic freak-out of noisy guitar with ghoulish visuals.

“The song is about a very interesting and difficult time of personal transition that happened at the end of last year, which coincided with a changing political climate ushered in by the election of Donald Trump as president,” guitarist/vocalist Julia Kugel told Paste. “It was like the Trump ethos of savage ignorance was taking over every aspect of life, and then a realization that all things do circle and come back. The reward for malicious action is often a bag of shit, one way or another.The video was shot by good friend and longtime Coathangers collaborator Matt Odom in and around our house in Long Beach. The badass cheerleaders were a play on the whole captain of the squad thing. We wanted this video to be a bit random and weird to the observer, yet the clip soaked in personal meaning. feels a bit like a feverish nightmare… a hex on assholes.”

Watch the video for ‘Captain’s Dead’ here:

When The Coathangers first stormed on the scene over a decade ago, their power resided in their ability to craft a crooked hook out of a grimy guitar line, a delightfully crass chorus, or an enticingly ham-fisted drum-and-bass groove. With each successive album, the Atlanta garage punk ensemble has increasingly tempered their brash charm with sharp-witted pop. Not that the band ever fully excised the primal howl of The Gories or the sparse strut of ESG, but with the trio’s latest EP, Parasite, The Coathangers explore the space between their initial unbridled expressionism and their recent nuanced song craft. “I'd like to think the EP takes you on a journey through the band’s existence,” says guitarist/vocalist Julia Kugel of the sequencing of the five songs on their latest offering.

Parasite’s cover features an illustration of The Coathangers as sirens of the sea, an image that aptly captures the nautical themes of the EP. But the notion of The Coathangers as both mischievous and enchanting is certainly fitting too, as is evident in the alternately piercing and beguiling tracks on their latest EP.

The Coathangers live dates:
May12 UK Manchester Night & Day
May13UK Brighton The Joker
May15 UK Bristol The Exchange
May16 UK Oxford The Bullingdon
May17 UK London Oslo
May18 UK Hastings The Printworks
May19 UK Leicester The Cookie
May20 UK Leeds Gold Sounds @ Brudenell Social
May21 UK Sheffield The Harley
May23 UK Ramsgate Music Hall
May 24 BE Gent PSYCH OVER 9000
May 25 NL Eindhoven Stroomhuisje
May 26 NL Rotterdam Girls Go Boom Night @ Roodkapje
May 27 NL Amsterdam Pacific Park
May 28 NL Utrecht dB's
May 30 DE Hamburg Molotow
May 31 DE Berlin Cassiopeia
Jun 1 DE Munich Orangehouse
Jun 2 DE Cologne MTC
Jun 3 FR Paris Le Batofar
Jun 4 IT Ravenna Beaches Brew Festival
Jun 8 FR Clermont Ferrand Le Barraka
Jun 9 FR Nimes This is not a Love Song
Jun 10 FI Helsinki Sideways Festival

K. Flay - Album 'Every Where Is Some Where' Out Now

K.Flay's second full-length album 'Every Where Is Some Where' was released this week and it is full of brutally awesome attitude. 

Check out 'Blood In The Cut' here for a stomping bass-line you can't stand still to, and check out the whole album ... is as varied as it is infectiously good:

Previous single ‘Black Wave’ is also on the album, a song about; “facing something immense and menacing and choosing not to cower, but to rise up”

K.Flay explains in a statement that also sheds light on the album’s title. It reads in part: “In writing this album, I thought a lot about the places that shape us, and how, in turn, we shape those places in our minds as human beings living on earth right now. We find ourselves in a very particular situation where the planet is getting warmer, the internet is getting bigger, and the stakes are as grave as ever. The President of the United States Of America is a television celebrity who openly degrades those unlike him (non-white, non-male, non-straight, non-wealthy, non-citizen), and whose chief strategist has spent much of his career promoting white nationalism in a country meant to foster diversity and progress through tolerance."

“A president who intends to limit our freedoms, foment hatred & silence dissent and yet every place, every where, is just some place, some where. It’s all arbitrary and fucked up and sometimes lucky. I think you can understand the fact of your own smallness in this world while still celebrating the very particular singularity of who you are and where you happen to stand”

Peeling - 'Vulture's Game' New Single

Peeling have a new EP '7 Years Of Blood' coming out on May 26th., check out new track 'Vulture's Game' taken from the EP here:

Following on the heels of their late 2016 EP, 'Rats in Paradise', their second EP, features members of TOPS, Dilly Dally and Odonis Odonis.

The track 'Vulture's Game' is a brooding down tempo dream pop song constructed around guitarist and singer Annabelle Lee's winding guitar leads and layered vocals. With it's atmospheric guitar sounds it establishes the EP's haunting tone, and concerns the process of shedding the bad relationships and toxic influences that undermine you.  

"In 'Vulture's Game' the protagonist wakes up in a haze on the side of a desert road, being circled by hungry birds," says Annabelle. "Exhausted and unsure of how they got there, trying to get away but having nowhere to run to. I wrote this song about feeling trapped in bad relationships, when people are sucking up your energy. It's a reminder to remove negative influences and ditch the emotional vampires who leave you feeling drained."

Building on her work in her previous project, Mexican Slang, Annabelle began conceptualizing Peeling in the summer of 2015, writing the songs that would make up their first EP before recruiting her bandmates and recording in December of that year. 7 Years of Blood, is a sequel of sorts to the first EP, with the songs composed shortly after the tracking of 'Rats In Paradise'. 

The EP builds on the sound of the band's earlier release, further exploring the layered guitar textures and Lee's bruising and often confrontational songwriting style, focusing thematically on the struggle to assert your individual agency and power.

"If you add up the average time a woman spends on her period during her life, it's like 7 straight years," Lee says of the EP's title "That's an annoying thought, but also pretty powerful. Which is what this EP is about, taking control and harnessing your individual power."

Charly Bliss Set To Release 'Guppy' LP

Released April 21, 2017 'Guppy' sees New York's Charly Bliss pretty much turn any space into a classic teenage bedroom, a candy-scented safe space for extreme fits of happiness and angsty teen-level explosions of romantic ennui. The ten tracks show the band embracing all of their strengths — a combination of ripping guitars and irrepressible pop hooks, all delivered with the hyper-enthusiasm of a middle school cafeteria food fight. That every track is loaded front-to-back with sing/shout-worthy lyrics and earworm melodies is a testament to the band’s commitment to the art form of pop songwriting. Check out 'Glitter' below:

Husky Loops - 'Tempo' New Video

With their debut EP out now via Alcopop Records, London-based trio Husky Loops have shared their new video for 'Tempo'.

On the video, director Tom Ringsby & Pietro of the band said "We wanted to work with the theme of mortality and the universality of it: how we are all living under the ticking clock. In our research we found Chronophobia, the clinical term for a fear of time. This informed all choices from script, casting, locations and design. The dramatic film techniques and imagery, drawn from pop thriller and horror cinema, make the pill easier to digest, while emphasising the mounting pressure building at the back of our heads. They say the key to contentment is to live in the present, but right now’s a pretty fucked up place to be."

Explaining how they came to choose the name Husky Loops, the band explained “it means rough loops: it stems from our fascination with repetition, playing loops from a rock perspective”. They combined various words, which they thought suited them best, landing on Husky Loops - a homage to their fresh, DIY take on rich, yet simultaneously raw riffs. 

Husky Loops have recently been announced to The Kills in Europe and will also play The Great Escape Festival this May: 

13th April - Lion Records, LONDON
28th April - Handmade Festival, LEICESTER
29th April - Live at Leeds, LEEDS
30th April - City Sound, CANTERBURY
6th May - Shacklewell Arms, LONDON
19th May -  The Great Escape, BRIGHTON
26th May - Dot to Dot Festival, MANCHESTER
27th May - Dot to Dot Festival, BRISTOL
28th May - Dot to Dot Festival, NOTTINGHAM
30th May - La Mécanique Ondulatoire, PARIS
31st May - Rotown, ROTTERDAM
2nd June - Badehaus, BERLIN
3rd June - Molotow, HAMBURG
6th June - Roxy, PRAGUE*
7th June - Täubchenthal, LEIPZIG*
9th June - Vega, COPENHAGEN*
23rd July - Truck Festival, STEVENTON
19th August - Lowlands Festival, WALIBI HOLLAND
* - supporting The Kills 

Daddy Issues - New Single 'In Your Head'

Daddy Issues new single 'In Your Head' is taken from the forthcoming album'Deep Dream' which is out 19th May on Infinity Cat Records, check out the lovely fuzziness here!

When singer and guitarist Jenna Moynihan saw the phrase “Daddy Issues” scribbled on the bathroom wall of a now-defunct Nashville DIY venue, she mistakenly assumed it was the name of an all-girl punk outfit sure to become her next favorite band. Upon realizing that no such band existed, Moynihan and friends Emily Maxwell (drums) and Jenna Mitchell (bass) picked up their instruments, taught themselves how to play and started their own band. Three years later, Daddy Issues are gearing up to release their full-length vinyl debut Deep Dream, out 5/19 via Infinity Cat Recordings.

The band originally caught Infinity Cat's eye after tastemaker Casey Weissbuch offered the trio a spot on the cassette series he curates for the label, which has hosted releases from artists like Rozwell Kid, Colleen Green and Guerrilla Toss over its three-year history. Days after submitting their tape in the summer of 2015, the band signed to Infinity Cat as official artists, releasing a 7" split with Louisville band White Reaper later that year. Shortly thereafter, the band started work on Deep Dream with producer and label owner Jake Orrall (JEFF The Brotherhood, Colleen Green). Combining the sounds of '80s alternative, '90s grunge and '00s pop, Daddy Issues tackle the difficulties of friendship, heartbreak, mental health, sexual assault and a number of other issues that come with the package of youth in the modern world.

FLOBOTS - New Album 'NOENEMIES' / new Single 'Carousel'

FLOBOTS have announced the release of their new highly anticipated 4th album 'NOENEMEMIES' for 5th May and the first official single from 'Carousel' is out now, check it out here:

NOENEMIES is, without question, Flobots’ most ambitious and sophisticated statement to date - both lyrically and musically. Funded entirely by a Kickstarter campaign that garnered $31,000 over its goal, the music on NOENEMIES is undeniably Flobots music, but it’s also assuredly music made by artists who have matured and expanded their horizons. Influenced by stories shared by Flobots’ friend and longtime mentor and Southern Freedom Movement historian and professor - the late Dr. Vincent Harding, and inspired by the band’s recent grassroots community work hosting workshops, classes and keynote speeches about using collective song to build social movements, the album is a body of songs that speak to the urgency of the current moment.

Each of the tracks on the album serves as a powerful, poignant new anthem, many packed with surprises both subtle and grand. Taken as a whole, the album is enormous in breadth, enveloping and electrically charged, befitting of the finely crafted, carefully chosen words. NOENEMIES virtually begs the listener to delve and to contemplate, to share and revel. For the recording Flobots’ core trio - emcee’s Brer Rabbit (Stephen Brackett) and Jonny 5 (Jamie Laurie) and drummer Kenny Ortiz - enlisted the help of trusted musical friends to bring their vision of the album into reality. Musician/Producer Gabriel Otto worked intimately with the band to craft a distinct sonic landscape, recruiting a string section, horn players, and a gospel quintet to layer recurring motifs over the band’s signature grooves. They teamed up with founding Flobot Mackenzie Gault (viola) and longtime musical collaborator Serafin Sanchez (saxophone, keys) to co-write a number of songs. The band incorporated voices, melodies, and words from throughout their collaborations - both on and off stage - into the songs.

From the beginning, Flobots’ sound defied categorization. Weaving conscious hip-hop lyrics and classical viola solos over live instrumentation, their anthems captured attention from all directions. When Flobots first catapulted onto the global scene in 2008 with their platinum single ‘Handlebars’ from their first album release Fight With Tools, it was the fastest charting song debut by a new artist in 10 years. Released during the frenzy of that year’s election, the band’s call to envision “another America” resonated with a generation experiencing a sense of profound political and social awakening. In a span of months, Flobots went from playing at local clubs to selling out tours internationally, performing on late-night television, signing a major label record deal, and receiving constant rotation on alternative radio.

Now, a decade later and with three critically acclaimed albums under their belt, Flobots are still dedicated to creating and performing anthems for a better world. And in 2017, amidst a nation taking to the streets, for Flobots that means delivering a unique brand of protest songs. 

Nineteen Fifty Eight - Single 'Dark Blue'

Swansea's Nineteen Fifty Eight's new EP 'Dark Blue' will be released 19th May, check out the title track here:

Fiercely loyal to the world-renowned South Wales music scene from which they hail, the band spent their formative years deeply enshrined in the city which nurtured them creatively and provided them with an abundance of opportunities and friendships.

Looking up to fellow Welsh music legends like Super Furry Animals, Catatonia and The Blackout inspired them to become musicians and the continuation of success stories coming out of Wales constantly pushes them to aim to fill some pretty big shoes. In vocalist Ceryn Evans they’ve found a natural leader who might just help them break out to a wider audience.

“Swansea has created so many opportunities for us as a band,”Evans explains “and the music scene here has been great to us since we formed. We've had to dedicate every aspect of our lives to the band in order to be able to record music and take ourselves out on tours but it's all been absolutely worth it.”

Fostering a sense of personal empowerment is central to the band’s message. The result of a year of change in which the band members variously moved away from home, landed jobs, went to university, found new relationships and were met with the harsh realities of adult life, 'Dark Blue' is an examination of the anxieties of young adulthood and a defiant reaffirmation that everything will be okay; “what we really hope to get across with our music is basically just: fuck what people think of you”.

Collaborating with producer Romesh Dodangoda for the second time on their new EP gave the band the opportunity to develop their sound with someone who knew exactly what they wanted to achieve. “We had more time to play with this time around and were able to experiment with new sounds which was great,” comment the band“Romesh was extremely patient and eager to pitch in. He brought these songs to life for us.”

Taking inspiration from the now-iconic style of early 2000’s bands like Brand New, they also bring a dose of young bloods Lower Than Atlantis and PVRIS to proceedings, not just musically but in their flair for the theatrical too; “We're inspired by the way they interact with fans on and off stage and how they present themselves to the world. We love musicians that know how to put on a massive show.”

“We hope 2017 brings us a bunch of tours and festivals,”they round up“We just really wanna get our music out there and play to as many people as possible. We can't wait to release these new songs and begin our next chapter.”

READING & LEEDS 2017 - More Acts Just Added!

noel gallagher

This year READING FESTIVAL is shaping up nicely with PVRIS, GOLDIE, DECLAN MCKENNA, BLACK HONEY, + over 90 more acts just confirmed.

Rock ‘n’ roll legend and an unmistakable icon of music history, Liam Gallagher will be bringing his highly anticipated solo performance to Reading and Leeds in a UK Festival Exclusive.

vant

One of the most recognised figures in British music, his show will be an attitude filled performance fuelled with Oasis classics and tracks from his debut solo record; announcing the next huge step for the nation’s most unmissable frontman.

At such a diverse festival there really is something for everyone, all day ... all weekend!

From one generation to another, timeless drum and bass titan Goldie will make a very special stop at this year’s Reading & Leeds festivals. A true innovator for a genre and a movement, Goldie transcends British culture, with classic LP Timeless still sounding as raw and captivating as it first did upon release in 1995.

ash

With a new album set for release, 2017 is the year Goldie returns with a bang, laid out in full colour at Reading & Leeds this summer on the BBC Radio 1 Dance Stage.

Huge headline performances will come from Kasabian, Eminem and Muse while garage rockers VANT will be making the step-up, following on from a festival-stopping set on last year’s Festival Republic Stage.

With debut album Dumb Blood radiating unstoppable hits, expect their performance at this year’s festival to be a journey into unfiltered riffs in full glory.

black honey

Grunge-tinged indie-pop pair Honeyblood will lay out tracks from second studio album Babes Never Die at the festivals.

Alt-rock sensations PVRIS will be laying out their marker for the year ahead at Reading and Leeds, as they return to the stage ahead of their long-awaited sophomore record.

After the release of debut album White Noise in 2014, their electro-infused anthems have continued to resonate with an audience of devoted fans eager for their next chapter. 

Lynn Gunn, of PVRIS said, “we are incredibly grateful to be performing again at Reading & Leeds. Our first experience at the festival was phenomenal and took us completely by surprise. We are excited to see what comes from it this time around and perhaps even play some new tunes *wink wink*”

With big names and rising favourites, including previously announced headliners You Me At Six, teenage singer-songwriter extraordinaire Declan McKenna is another new name on the bill who is most definitely primed for big things over the year ahead.

Possessing a live show that lights up packed venues and TV screens wherever he goes, and with a debut album out this summer. 

Declan said; “Reading & Leeds is definitely going to be a highlight of the year for me. Am so excited to finally be playing at a festival I love so much and have been to so many times.”

gnarwolves

The Black Lips are also already primed for rapturous sets - the Festival Republic Stage is once again overflowing with future stars and acts possessing that special something that’ll take them to a whole new level.

Ash also return with a massive catalogue of indisputable hits at their disposal, while the transcendent grooves of US ambient-electro force Cigarettes After Sex are sure to be a highlight. 

charli xcx

Ash's Tim Wheeler said; "we’re very proud to announce an historic 10th appearance for Ash at the Reading festival. We first performed there in 1995 and our shows at the festival stand among our favourite shows that we’ve ever played, it’s always been a highlight of each year we’ve done it. Somewhere along the way we were promised a statue upon reaching our 10th appearance, so we’re looking forward to the grand unveiling in August!"

Trailblazing indie-noir heroes Black Honey said "we've been going to Reading and Leeds since we were little, it's where I crowd surfed for the first time and fell in love with music, it feels so fucking good to be back on the other side of the barrier again this year"

On The Pit / Lockup stage hosts a mix of fierce acts, riotous live favourites Gnarwolves, God Damn, Tired Lion, Muncie Girls, & TIGERCUB promise to take 2017 to another level.

Thom Weeks of Gnarwolves said; "we're very excited to be playing Reading and Leeds this year. It'll be our 4th time at Reading and we get to play on the stage we first played on 4 years ago! I spent my teenage years at Reading, watching bands like Thursday and Sick Of It All, so getting to play is like living out a teenage fantasy...4 times!"

Lande Hekt, Muncie Girls said: “we're so exciting to go back to Reading and Leeds this year. Last time Eminem played, Dido made a surprise appearance and amongst the thousands of shocked fans, there wasn't a dry eye to be seen. We can only hope for the same this year. Also the Lock Up stage is amazing. What a way to end our summer!”